Clicker block planer



Feb. a, 1959 v T .GUOR, 2,871,635

l CLICKER BLOCK PLANER Filed June 13. 1957 v 2 SheetsfSheet 1 mi; m

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THOMFIS LIGUORI HTTURNEY Feb. 3, 1959 T. LlGuoRl l CLICKER BLOCK PLANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June l5, 1957 .R O U wu. L

THOMFIS` HTTURNEY United. States Patent CLICKER BLOCK PLANER Thomas Liguori, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application June 13, 1957, Serial No. 665,401 3 Claims. (Cl. 51241) This invention relates to a device attachable to the die head of a Clicker type die cutter, for the purpose of resurfacing the Clicker block. The invention relates generally, thus, to sanding, abrasive, or resurfacing devices, and in particular has reference to a device especially adapted for sanding, or resurfacing by abrasive action, the bed block of a leather or cloth die-cutting machine.

In the art of die-cutting fabrics, leathers, and the like, there is used a die-cutting machine. This machine includes a pedestal, on which is mounted for vertical sliding movement a laterally projecting arm. Said arm, in any position to which it is vertically adjusted upon the standard or pedestal, is laterally swingable, so as to be located at any desired point above a stationary bed block, also known as a Clicker block. On said bed block the material that is to be die-cut is disposed. A die head is carried by the arm, and the cutting dies are placed beneath said die head.

The surface of the bed block is usually of hardwood or rubber, and serves to provide a backing for the material that is being cut, so that there will be no danger to the cutting dies, and no possibility of damaging the same. The pressure exerted by means of the die head against the cutting dies is very heavy, and the force of the stroke by which the dies move through the cloth or leather is sa great that the backing surface, defined by the bed block after a period of time becomes worn down, uneven, and rough. y

This results in an improper die-cutting action, and often, it becomes necessary, subsequently, to complete by hand the cutting of the fabric, at locations where the fabric or ieather was not penetrated by the die due to the unevenness of the surface of the bed block.

In view of the above, it is proposed to provide a device attachable directly to the die head carried by the swinging arm, which device will plane down or smooth the suri face of the bed block, at selected intervals, so that the block will once again be perfectly level at all locations thereon.

Another object is to provide a device of the character stated which will be formed in a manner such that it can be swiftly attached to or detached from the die head, whenever desired.

A further object is to provide a block sanding attachment for a Clicker type die cutter that will effect the sanding or similar abrasive action in a short time, with maximum ease and speed so far as the operator is concerned.

Still another object is to provide a device of the character stated that will be attachable to a conventional die head of a clicker type die cutter, without requiring any modification or redesign of said die head.

A further object of importance is to provide a Clicker block planer which will be adapted to effect sanding or planing of the bed block without requiring any removal of the bed block, or any moving of the pedestal carrying the die cutter arm. In this way, the `device is usable without affecting the regular position of the bed block or of the adjacent pedestal.

Patented Feb. 3, 1959 ice Another objec-t of importance is to provide an attachment for aclicker type die cutter, for leveling the bed block when the same has become uneven, which attachment will be designed to assure that the bed block will be leveled off in a completely horizontal plane, that is, in a plane exactly perpendicular to the axis of swinging movement of the die head support arm, thus to insure, when the cutting machine is again placed in use, that a completely uniform and accurate die-cutting action will result.

Still another object of importance is to provide a device of the character stated which, in at least one form of the invention, will have a quickly attachable means for connecting the sanding device to the die head, with said means being adapted to be swiftly locked or 'unlocked in die-head-engaging position, said means being designed for adjustment to accommodate itself to die heads of diierent thicknesses.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sanding attachment according to the present invention, mounted upon the die head support arm and die head of a conventional Clicker type die cutter, in position to sand down the bed block, said bed block being illustrated fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevational view of the device as seen from the left of Fig. 1, the bed block and the support arm being shown fragmentarily and in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on the same scale as Fig. 2, taken longitudinally through the device, substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sanding attachment,

portions being broken away, as seen from the line 4--4' of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 isa still further enlarged, detail sectional view showing one of the clamp means rin clamping and unclamping positions, in full and dotted lines respectively.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a clicker type die cutter having mounted thereon a modified type of sanding attachment.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, detail sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6, the dotted lines showing the attachment in released position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a turnbuckle connection letwen the side clamping units of the form shown in Fig. 9 is a perspective view, on a scale enlarged above that of Fig. 6, of one of the side clamping units per se.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there will first be vdescribed the conventional machine with which the device is usable, so as to provide a proper understanding of the adaptability of the device for mounting upon such a machine.

The clicker type die cutter on which the device is mounted has been generally designated at 10, and includes a tripod-type, weighted base 12, which can be bolted or otherwise xedly secured to the floor surface. Rigidly secured to and projecting vertically upwardly from base 12 is a standard 14 of circular cross section, the upper end portion of which extends through a sleeve 16, which sleeve is adjustable vertically of the standard and is also rotatable thereupon. Rigid with and projecting laterally from the sleeve, that is, radially of the standard 14, is a die head support arm 18, declining in a direction away from the standard 14, so as to have, at lts outer end, a downwardly extending outer end portion 20. End portion 2@ is formed with outwardly di rected, coplanar ilanges 22, bolted or otherwise ixedly secured to a plate element 24. Carried by the plate element 2d is a handle 26, which extends through the plate element and is connected to a rectangular, at die head 2d.

The die head 2d lies in a plane perpendicular to the length of the standard lid, that is, perpendicular to the axis of swinging movement of the arm l@ that carries the die head.

A bed block generally designated 3@ includes legs 32 or other support means, and further a heavy plate 3d, on which is superposed a work-supporting or wear plate 36. The plate 36 may be of hardwood in some commercial embodiments, while in others it would be of hard rubber. ln either event, the plate tends, during repeated use of the machine, to become pitted, worn, and uneven, thus requiring that the same be resurfaced at comparatively frequent intervals. This is due to the fact that the work is placed directly upon the plate 36. Thereafter, the cutting dies are disposed below the die head 23, and the die head 2d is shifted toward the work-supporting surface to force the cutting dies through the work. The die head can, or" course, be moved to any location upon the table surface, so as to locate the dies wherever there is a clear, uncut area in the fabric, thus to malte maximum use of the fabric and reduce weight to a minimum during the cutting action.

The device constituting the present invention is used for the purpose of sanding down and returning to a fully smooth, level condition the plates 3d. Said device has been generally designated at 38, and includes a at, rectangular plate [til one end of which is integral with an extension Extension d?. in the preferred, illustrated embodiment (but not necessarily) is progressively reduced in width in a direction toward its o-uter end.

Mounted upon the extension 42 is a motor 4d, and rotating with the shaft of the motor is a drive pulley 4S about which is trained a belt tl, trained also about a` smaller, driven pulley 552 secured to a shaft Sd for rotation therewith. rl`he shaft 54.1 extends longitudinally and centrally of the plate d6, below the same, fully from end to end of the plate as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Bolted or otherwise tixedly secured to the underside of the extension of plate di?, at the cuter, smalle end of said extension 42., is a bearing 56, in which one end of the shaft is journalled. At the other end of the plate d@ there is secured to the underside thereof a similar bearing The bearings are aligned longitudinally centrally of the plate as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and the opposite ends of the shaft 5d are journalled therein, so that said shaft 5d extends parallel to and below the planes of the plate dll, that is, normally to the axis of swinging movement of the arm 18.

The portion of the shaft disposed between the bearings 56, 53 extends through the core di) of a sanding roller generally des d :52, said roller further including an abrasively coated sleeve 64 tensioned about the core 60 (see Fig. 3'). lt is within the spirit of the invention to provide any type of sanding roller, and if desired, the sanding roller can be one piece, rather than a cere on which is fitted a removable sanding sleeve.

In any event, the roller is of elongated formation, extending almost the full distance between the bearings 56, 5d. Said roller is held in place upon the shaft, that is, it is held against movement endwise of the shaft, by means of set collars 66 abutting the opposite ends of the roller. The roller, of course, would be secured to the shaft 5d for rotation therewith, and could be either keyed to the shaft, or alternatively, could be secured thereto by means of a setscrew. The means used for making the core rotatable with the shaft Sd could be varied if desired.

The device is removably, xedly secured to the die head in underlying relation to the die head, with the motor 44 dispo-sed beyond one end of the die head as clearly shown in 7Eig. 1. To this end, in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 5, there are formed on opposite sides of the plate dil, at locations spaced longitudinally of the plate, laterally outwardly projecting ears 68, having smooth-walled openings 76B receiving the threaded shanks'7r2 of clamping hooks 74. Nuts 76 are threaded onto the Shanks 72, against the underside of the l l lt will thus be seen that the hooks, when loosened, can be turned about so that they do not overlie the die heads, thus facilitating application or removal of the sanding device. When the device is to be clamped to the die head, the hooks are swung from the dotted to the tull line positions (Fig. 5), after which the nuts are turned in a direction to bind the same against ears 63. This shifts the hooks into clamping engagement with the respective side portions of the die head 25. The device is thus xedly secured to the die head, and will be movable laterally as well as vertically therewith, responsive to the usual manipulation of the arm l by the user of the apparatus. lnthis way, the roller can be shifted over the full area of the plate 3d, with said roller being shiftable endwise, laterally, or in directions having both lateral and longitudinal components. At all times, the roller is turning at a high rate of speed, so as to sand oit the surface of the block 36 until it is fully level. rthereafter, the clamps are loosened and the device is removed, so that the cliclter type die cutter is again ready for normal use.

ln Figs. 6 9 there is shown a modication, said modification having reference to the means for clamping the device to the die head. In this form, all parts are again equal to those previously described, with the exception or" the clamping means. lt is important to note that the clamping means in the form shown in Pigs. 6 9 is so designed as to be useful with the components illustrated in Figs. 1 5, that is, said clamping means is mountable directly upon the ears 63 or" the plate 4d, so that said plate d@ need not be modified or redesigned in any way.

The clamping means of Figs. 6 9 is designed to increase the speed with which the device can be attached to or removed from the die head To this end, there are provided at opposite sides or" the plate 48, clamping or assemblies generally designted '7l'. These are oppositely but identically formed, so the description of one will suflice for both.

Each assembly includes an elongated rod '7S comprising a shaft, said shaft being disposed inwardly from the adjacent side edge of the plate in overlying relation to the die head (see Figs. 6 and '7).

At its opposite ends, shaft 78 is integral with laterally outwardly pro-pecting arms 8l) which in turn merge into depending, threaded shanks 82 extendable through the smooth-walled openings itl of the respective ears d8 at the side or the device. rEhe nuts 7o' would be applied to the snanks 3..., in the same manner that said nuts are applied to the threaded Shanks of *he lioolts lf-l.

Freely rotatable on the shaft TS is an elongated eccentric clamping roller Roller $4', as shown in Fig. 7, has an end-to-end bore eccentric to the center of the roller, sai bore 5 receiving the shaft 7 The' roler i 'g l. f, '1, .1 'Uff ha is rigid. at opposite ends, with radial arms 25o which in turn are integral with an elongated handle extending parallel to the length of the roller 8 The arms ile and handle constitute a tl-shaped ineens, hxedly secured to the cam or eccentric roller @#5, for the purpose of facilitating swinging of the roller between the full and dotted line positions thereof shown in Fig. 7.

lt will be seen from the above that when the roller is swung from its dotted line to its full line position of Fig. 7, the periphery of the roller will bear againstthe die head, tending to force the die head toward the plate 40. As a result, the plate 40 is iixedly secured to the underside of the die head7 so that the sanding attachment is vattached to the die head, ready for use. By swinging the handle means from the full to the dotted liuc position of Fig. 7, the roller is swung out of engagement with the die head, loosening the device for facilitating its removal from the die head. This eliminates the need for application of wrenches to the four nuts7 which wrench application would be required in the form shown in Figs. 1 5, when the device is being applied or removed.

Also of importance is the fact that the device shown in Figs. 6-9 can be used on any thickness of die head. In other words, if the die head should be of greater thickness than that shown in Fig. 7, the nut '76 may be backed off to a slight extent, so as to insure that when the plate 40 is clamped tightly to the die head, the roller will be in the exact position shown in full lines in 1Eig. 7, with the handle extending outwardly upwardly from the roller, so as to be in diverging relation in an upward direction in respect to the handle means of the other clamping unit.

Connectable detachably between the handle means of the respective clamping units 77 are coaxial rods 90, having oppositely threaded inner ends engaged in a turnbuckle sleeve 92. At their outer ends, the rods have depending extensions 94 which are arcuately bowed inwardly to a slight extent as at 96, so as to snap onto the handles, when the handles are in the full line position shown in Fig 7. By reason of this arrangement, when the clamps are swung upwardly to their full line positions of Fig. 7, the turnbuckle means can be applied to the handles, by being snapped thereonto, after which the radial handle 98 of the turnbuckle sleeve (Fig. 6) can be operated to partially rotate the turnbuckle sleeve. The sleeve would be rotated in a direction to draw the upwardly diverging handle means of the respective clamping units toward each other, thus shifting the rollers to their full clamping positions. Further, the clamping rollers are locked in said positions by the turnbuckle means.

When the device is to be removed, the handle 98 is returned to its previous position, and the turnbuckle connection is removed by hand or by a light tap with a hammer or similar tool. Then, the handles of the respective clamping rollers are merely swung outwardly, so that the device may be removed from the die heads.

Both forms of the invention, of course, have the common desirable characteristic wherein they can be swiftly attached to or detached from the conventional die head, in a manner to insure `swift and accurate resurfacing of the bed block. The devices in both forms, also, are of particularly simplified construction, permitting their manufacture at low cost without sacrifice of strength or eieiency.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as dened in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent l. A bed block sanding attachment for a clicker type die cutter having a die head plate, comprising a support plate, means to clamp the support plate to a die head plate, an abrasive roller journalled on the underside of the support plate, and means carried by said support plate for rotating said roller, said clamping means comprising Shanks carried by the support plate, shafts extending between the shanks, and rollers eccentrically and rotatably mounted on the shafts and movable into and out of engagement with the die head plate for releasably clamping the die head plate and the support plate to each other, the clamping means further including handles extending radially from the rollers, said clamping means further including a connector assembly extending between the Ihandles to lock the same against movement from a position in which the rollers are clampably engaged with the die head plate.

2. A bed block sanding attachment for a clicker type die cutter having a die head plate, comprising a support plate, means to clamp the support plate to a die head plate, an abrasive roller journalled on the underside of the support plate, and means carried by said support plate for rotating said roller, said clamping means comprising shanks carried by the support plate, shafts extending between the Shanks, and rollers eccentrically and rotatably mounted on the shafts and movable into and out of engagement with the die head plate for releasably clamping the die head plate and the support plate to each other, the clamping means further including handles extending radially from the rollers, said clamping means further including a connector assembly extending between the handles to lock the same against movement from a position in which the rollers are clampably engaged -with the die head plate, said assembly including oppositely threaded rods engaged with the handles and a turnbuckle sleeve engaged with the rods.

3. A bed block sanding attachment for a Clicker type die cutter having a die head plate, comprising a support plate, means to clamp the support plate to a die head plate, an abrasive roller journalled on the underside of the support plate, and means carried by said support plate for rotating said roller, said clamping means comprising Shanks carried by the support plate, shafts extending between the Shanks, and rollers eccentrically and rotatably mounted on the shafts and movable into and out of engagement with the .die head plate for releasably clamping the die head plate and the support plate to each other, the clamping means further including handles extending radially from the rollers, said clamping means further including a connector assembly extending between the handles to lock the same against movement from a position in which the rollers are clampably engaged with the die head plate, said assembly including oppositely threaded rods engaged with the handles and a turnbuckle sleeve engaged with the rods, the rods having outer ends formed `with hooks adapted to snap onto the handles.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

